The Prepare Entry Guide: An evidence-based resource for autistic students transitioning to higher education

Introduction

This research at MTU Cork focuses on a preliminary stakeholder evaluation of the Prepare Entry Guide which was provided to registered autistic students at the beginning of the 2020/21 academic year through the Transitions Programme at MTU Cork.

The Prepare Entry Guide

Autistic students are intrinsically motivated to succeed at university through self-determination and agency (Ward and Webster, 2018) through their enhanced skills for focus and absorption of information on topics which interest them (Barnhill, 2014; Van Hees et al., 2015).  However, autistic students can struggle with the transition from post primary school to third level education (Knott and Taylor, 2014; Van Hees et al., 2015).

As a response, a pilot Prepare Entry Guide provided information on the MTU Cork Campus, the physical environment, the new learning environment and how to communicate effectively online with lecturers. Also included within the guide was information on where to eat within the campus, and tips are given to promote social, organisational, and other relevant skills.

The identified need for a Prepare Entry Guide was centred on a lacuna in autism-specific resources at MTU Cork that had become evident, despite the DSS provision of a range of multimedia resources for students with disabilities.

Through the initial provision of information on places to eat for autistic students, the Transitions Programme staff identified a need for more information delivered in a way that was compatible with the preferred communication style of autistic students. A number of key opportunities for support were identified:

There were lots of issues around not understanding systems, lots of our conversations were around clarity; what do I do, how do I access this, self-advocacy, communication came up all the time, anxiety, issues with bullying in the past, negative feelings from being in an education system and that impacting on their experience currently.  (Access Practitioners)

It was noted by the team that anxiety was also an issue for some parents of autistic students and that the Prepare Entry Guide could go some way towards alleviating that anxiety for such parents:

Sometimes that reference is not … for the students - but it is also for the parents, you know, because they are very, very anxious about their son or daughter beginning this massive change in their life and taking this massive step. They get the message that they have to take a step back as well, and that their son or daughter is going to be treated as an adult, and how they need to negotiate a new education system in a different way and their role is kind of less involved. (Focus Group Access Practitioners)

The team identified that a UDL approach was best practice and described it as being the 'epitome of Access', and in that sense, the adaptation of UDL should be conceptualised as routine in the duties and engagement of Access Practitioners and should be expanded upon in future iterations of the guide.

Research Aims

The aim of this research was to garner stakeholder feedback on the Prepare Entry Guide. Two areas were under investigation with autistic students: the content of the Prepare Entry Guide and its visual aesthetics. Particular attention was paid to recommendations from students who had used the guide, and whose input was considered central to informing future iterations of the guide.

In terms of research methodology, a mixed methods approach (online survey, focus groups and interviews) was taken to ensure the participants’ experiences were accurately captured and represented. A combined use of qualitative and quantitative methods adds rigour, breadth, complexity, richness, and depth to any inquiry (Denzin and Lincoln, 2018), and data collection instruments were selected in line with this ethos. An online survey of students (n-19) interviews with students (n-4) and two focus groups with professionals (n-7) involved in the Prepare Entry Guide were held. Ethical approval was granted by the Social Research Ethics Committee (SREC) at University College Cork (Institution of Munster Technological University).

The Student Feedback

68.4 percent of the 19 first year student respondents were male, 16 percent were female and 19% identified as transgender, gender neutral or non-binary. 

Survey data responses

Over half (53 percent) of respondents had consulted the guide if they had a question, and 37 percent read the Prepare Entry Guide before they had come to university. Only a small percentage (approx. 5%) had not accessed or read the Prepare Entry Guide.

26 percent of respondents reported that the Prepare Entry Guide did prepare them for what would be easy or challenging for them in university while the majority (58 percent) reported that they felt the guide prepared them ‘a little’. The remaining respondents (16 percent) chose the option 'I’d rather not say'.

Interview responses

There were more positive responses to the question about the usefulness of the guide in the qualitative interview data collected from the post first year students who reviewed the guide:

…. parts of it, I actually found that, I found very kind of helpful as to how to go about accessing supports and stuff like that. (Participant 1, Interview 1)

The one first year student who self-selected for interview also gave a positive review:

But overall, I thought it kind of gave me a good idea of what to expect and kind of how to prepare. A lot of the preparation stuff is stuff that I probably would have done anyway – I like to over-plan things sometimes. It is pretty good. I think it was really useful for giving me peace of mind especially because, like I said, I like to over-prepare, and this gave me a lot of information without me having to worry about trying to find it myself. I think it was mostly peace of mind and trying to reassure me that it would not be as difficult as I was worried it was going to be. (Participant 3, Interview 3)

Provision of more information and changing the colour scheme were the two most selected suggestions for improvement made by respondents to improve Prepare Entry Guide. It is noteworthy however that six respondents indicated for this question that they would rather not say or make comment about suggestions for improvement of the guide. A similar lack of feedback was demonstrated in another question which sought suggestions for improvement. This may suggest a certain reticence or difficulty within the sample in engaging with making recommendations. Other suggestions made to improve the Prepare Entry Guide were to add a link to the DSS website; provide examples (unclear); and make it easier to understand.

In the interviews, students were more forthcoming with suggestions. This may be due to the fact that most interviewees were more experienced as they were at a later stage in their degree. Challenges for autistic students include navigating the physical environment and time management in independent learning. This can be experienced as a culture shock (Cage and Howes, 2020). Some suggestions for improvement of the Prepare Entry Guide included additional information on mentoring; managing stress; the DSS itself and what it provides; support with socialising with peers; accessing Canvas (online learning platform), email and announcements on Canvas; self-care during stressful times; balanced information about pressure and deadlines and how to prepare for those. A participant commented:

And also, with a person on the Spectrum … we need to be honest and say ‘look, you are going to have some bad days, you have to think about things like maybe if you have a report due in the week, do a quarter of it by Saturday or Sunday and then do another bit of it on Monday and then do another bit of it on Tuesday and, if it is due on Wednesday, leave one question for Wednesday morning and then submit it because you can balance out your free time and your study and you won’t be as overwhelmed. (Participant 1, Interview 1)         

Promoting use of the DSS was linked to normalisation of needing to access supports by one interview participant:

… I think we need to be more realistic in like how to handle the university entry – you have to, like. And also, just another thing I have noticed too, be proud of your disability and also don’t be afraid to join the DSS because it will help you, it will make life so much easier. Like, I have had people in my class who have a disability, didn’t use the DSS and they are struggling. I tell them how great the DSS is and they are like ‘no, I am just too embarrassed’ – but there is nothing to be embarrassed about.’ (Participant 2, Interview 2)

          Some information around working in groups with peers was suggested another participant:

 I was just thinking as well it would actually be great to add something about working in groups because I know that every first-year course has to do a group project and presumably, they have to do other projects. Now my course is almost entirely group project based because they are preparing us for a creative career where we would be only working in teams. So maybe something about how to – not just communicate with lecturers – but also to work effectively with other students. (Participant 3, Interview 3)

Individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are often supported in daily life by visual presentations such as picture cards or illustrations. Therefore, they are considered to have visual strength. However, whether or not people with ASD are cognitively superior in visual processing, people with autism are commonly seen as having visual strengths, and respond well to learning through cue cards, pictures, images, and art (Funabiki and Shiwa, 2018). Feedback from students with regard to the aesthetics and layout of the Prepare Entry Guide was overall very positive, both in the survey data and in the interviews.

In Conclusion

To conclude, the survey found that student usage of the Prepare Entry Guide was quite good. The interviews proved to be more fruitful in garnering recommendations for improvement. In terms of content, a range of suggestions for inclusion in the Prepare Entry Guide were made. Only minor suggestions were made in terms of changing the layout, which the majority of respondents found easy to understand.

This research was limited by the small sample size of students who responded to the survey and self-selected through contact with the DSS Co-ordinator for interview. The research team utilised a person-oriented research ethic (Cascio and Racine, 2018) which underscores self-selection as key to retention of agency when considering participation or non-participation in research (Cascio, Weiss and Racine, 2021).

At the time of research, the Prepare Entry Guide was a pilot project and still considered to be under development. As part of this ongoing development and refinement of the guide, the aim of this evaluation was to identify challenges encountered, highlight opportunities for future improvements and make recommendations for the future iterations of the Prepare Entry Guide using the voice of the autistic student.

The approach taken to the evaluation was to conceptualise participants as agents rather than research subjects (Dresser, 2016). This evaluation sought to avoid overshadowing the ‘insider expertise’ (Crane et al. 2021; Pellicano et al. 2014) of autistic students and did not interview parents or other caregivers (Nichols et al. 2019; Beamer and Yun, 2014).

The survey data indicated a good level of usage of the Prepare Entry Guide (53%), though a key area of concern was whether students actually felt better prepared as a result of reading the guide. The majority of survey respondents (53 percent) indicated that the provision of more information was needed to improve the content of the Prepare Entry Guide.

Next Steps

The Prepare Entry Guide is currently available as a pdf, downloadable from the Disability Support Service section on the MTU website. This second version has been amended according to the findings from this research. It is often printed out and used for pre-entry activities with students, where appropriate. From this second edition, a third and more interactive version was also created using feedback from the research. This interactive version is also available on the MTU website.

There is a longstanding societal belief that people with autism have diminished social interest (Jaswal and Akhtar, 2019; Chevallier et al 2012; Dawson, 2008; Klin et al. 2003). Participants in this research identified that they wished to receive support around making friends and socialising. Taking this into consideration, it is recommended that initiatives to provide opportunities for socialisation with peers and emotional support around this be given some focus in future iterations of the Prepare Entry Guide. Calls for additional information on the topics covered in the Prepare Entry Guide are unsurprising given that anxiety was underscored in interviews as a factor in hindering preparedness. Resources which provide guidance around these challenges are thus a key requirement.

• MTU Transitions Programme
• Prepare Entry Guide